Exit to Al Khail Road now open ! !

Happy National Day to UAE residents and citizens alike !

Yesterday, for the first time,  we were able to access Al Khail Road in a safe manner. It felt like an early National Day present to all those living in JVT! You no longer need to pass over the gravel path and exit through the back gate cutting across sand and treacherous ditches. The access road to reach Al Khail is open and it’s a smooth ride that now takes you out of JVT. Once out, you can either immediately move over into the left hand lane to enter the round-about and circle back to take Al Khail road toward Dubai. Or you can access Emirates Road in either direction for Dubai or Abu Dhabi. 

As today is National Day, one must admire and reflect upon the amazing growth of the UAE and particularly on the incredible feats pulled off by Dubai. While some of us may grumble about the road-works and various other inconveniences associated with rapid growth, you must nevertheless appreciate and marvel at the impressive infrastructure of this great city. 

Of course, we still eagerly await more improvements such as the opening of the u-turn access on the Al Khail round-about that will allow travelers from Abu Dhabi to turn around and return on Emirates Road to access the JVT main gate. Easier access to the Springs road (Hessa street) would be nice as well. With luck, maybe one of those will be our New Year’s gift from Nakheel !

Happy Driving and stay safe on National Day.

 

Public Spaces – Beautification efforts in JVT

Grass is being laid in parks all around the community. Nakheel seems to be stepping up efforts to improve the visual appearance of the Triangle. In the last weeks, the master developer has been planting majestic palm trees along the roads and park pathways. I certainly rejoice to know that the vacant plots and barren parks will be given a new lease on life. Many homeowners did not wait to improve the look of streets all around JVT. We see lovely arrangements of cacti, bougainvillea, box shrubs, fan palms or desert rose lining the roads thanks to residents improving the look of their homes.

As of today, I’ve noticed workers replanting some curbside gardens along the main axes. I do wonder, however, if some of these spaces had beautiful established plants put in by the owners and which have now been discarded. I suppose we all garden outside our gates at our risk and peril. I would argue however that it is much more pleasant to stroll around and admire the different plant choices in well arranged gardens than the cookie cutter displays being planted. At least the latest plant choices are appealing to the eye.

Roadside Gardens getting a Make-Over (27 Nov 2012)

We still can find some sad examples of landscaping. The developer and their hired hands did not always succeed with the roadside garden plots. Wrong choice of plant? Insufficient water? Poor maintenance? Not sure, but at least some of the tree ‘sticks’ have finally taken root.

There are also trees I would note that have flourished much too well. Too many specimens of the villainous damas tree can be found closing off front boundaries and masking property walls. One can understand the desire to quickly banish the yard’s sand with a flourish of vegetation. Yet homeowners and tenants alike should be made aware of the damage inflicted by this tree. Its voracious roots can do untold harm to walls and break through swimming pools. A municipality campaign is underway warning of the perils in planting these trees. Some companies even propose free replacement. Don’t delay. Call now! [1]

The right place for the damas tree has been found: along the power lines. Within months these prolific trees should do their job and give our long avenues a beauty make-over. The power lines will soon disappear behind a lush green canopy.

One can hope !

 

Editor's Note:
[1] The editor of this blog is not associated with companies 
that offer landscaping or other services. This blog is not 
responsible for any erroneous information provided by third-parties.